Struggling Eibar welcome league leaders Atletico Madrid to Estadio Municipal de Ipurua on Thursday evening (8.30pm). The hosts will be hoping to bounce back after consecutive defeats, while the visitors aim to pick up another three points after a relatively straightforward win last time out.
How will this La Liga game work out? Read our Eibar vs Atletico Madrid preview with odds and betting tips.
Recent form
Atletico come into this fixture four points clear at the top of La Liga having beaten Sevilla by two goals to nil in front of a home crowd last Tuesday. They were surprisingly beaten in the Copa del Rey prior to that, though their league efforts have been hard to criticise. Thursday’s visitors have won their last five in this competition, scoring ten and conceding just two in the process. Such form bodes well ahead of a match against a side struggling to stay afloat.
It has been anything but a vintage season for Eibar, who not that long ago were challenging for a Europa League place before eventually finishing 9th at the end of the 17/18 campaign. Unfortunately, there’s no talk of Europa for the Basque boys this term. In fact, right now, the talk is likely to be about Thursday’s hosts remaining in the division. With the way things have gone, even improving on last season’s 14th place finish will be difficult.
In terms of recent form, Eibar have won one, drawn one and lost three of their last five. Then again, they did both win and keep a clean sheet when last in action on their own patch.
Home form a problem for Eibar
Eibar did get the better of Granada in their most recent home fixture, but home wins in general have been few and far between this term. In fact, that victory against Granada was their first on home soil this term.
A record of just one win from nine home matches goes some way to explaining why Eibar have the second worst home record in La Liga this season, though we shouldn’t dismiss the hosts entirely. For all they have found winning hard to do, they’ve not always been the easiest side to beat at Ipurua, losing four out of nine. They have kept five clean sheets at home this term, which is admirable, while they’ve only conceded more than once on three occasions.
Atleti tough on the road
While Eibar have the second worst home record in the division, Atletico have the third best away record. The visitors have won five, drawn one and lost one of their seven travelling fixtures. What’s more, they’ve not lost away from home against a team outside of the top half since January 2020.
In true Diego Simeone fashion, Atleti have kept things tight at the back when playing away from home this season, conceding an average of just 0.57 goals. They’ve kept a clean sheet 57% of the time on the road this campaign, while they’ve conceded more than once in just one out of seven. Such numbers look positive given Eibar’s relative lack of goals at home this term. The fact that Simeone’s side have conceded an average of just 0.57 expected goals per 90 away from home further shows that they are very astute defensively on their travels.
Wins commonplace for Atleti at Ipurua
As mentioned in this preview, Atleti’s last away defeat to a team outside of the top half came back in January 2020. It was at this stadium against Eibar. However, that result aside, this is a ground where the red and white half of Madrid have performed strongly over the years. Since Simeone took charge in 2011, Atletico visited Ipurua on seven occasions. They’ve recorded five wins, one draw and one loss, winning three of the last five. They’ve also kept a clean sheet in four of their last six at Eibar’s home ground.
Visitors can get the job done
Even though Eibar’s recent home win, combined with their win against Atleti at this venue just over a year ago, may have given the hosts renewed confidence, it is difficult to look beyond the visitors. Everything we’ve seen from the pair this term suggests that Atleti will continue to bound along in the title race by picking up three points. That said, should we simply back Los Rojiblancos to emerge victorious? At the betting odds, probably not.
Lack of goals on the cards
Instead of betting purely on an Atletico win, ‘Atletico to win & under 2.5 goals’ appeals. Not only are Atletico a side that favours a sturdy approach, one that allows them to win plenty of games without needing to go mad in terms of goals scored, but low-scoring fixtures have been commonplace at Ipurua this season too.
Less than three goals have been scored in seven of Eibar’s home matches this term, as well as in five of Atletico’s away matches. Moreover, Eibar have failed to score in five out of nine at home, while Atletico have only scored more than twice once on the road during the current campaign. Such stats don’t exactly point to the goals flowing in the Basque Country on Thursday night. So these are the betting tips for this Eibar vs Atletico Madrid preview:
- Take Atletico to win & under 2.5 goals to be scored @ 19/10 with Betfred.
Eibar vs Atletico Madrid Match Betting Odds from Top UK Bookies
 |  |  |  |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atletico Madrid | 4/6 | 4/6 | 8/11 | 4/6 | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Draw | 12/5 | 12/5 | 23/10 | 23/10 | 12/5 | 12/5 |
| Eibar | 11/2 | 5/1 | 24/5 | 5/1 | 5/1 | 19/4 |
Bradley Gibbs is an experienced football writer. He is an expert analyst on Premier League, and all global football leagues & tournaments, for Just Bookies. Bradley has been published by many respected outlets, including USA Betting and the Racing & Football Outlook. He has also written betting strategy guides.